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jeff's review against another edition
5.0
Really incredible overview of various climate solutions. Maybe the best primer for someone interested in climate tech. I thought Hawken and co did a nice job giving consistent structure to the different chapters, while adding narrative sidebars that kept the story engaging.
spav's review against another edition
4.0
Good overall, specially how deep yet rigorous each analysis is.
Minuses are the chapter dedicated to the Pope Francis (?) and those “coming attractions” dedicated to very trans-humanistic hypothetical “solutions” to climate change. We do have all the engineering needed in our own hands, and that is growing biomass and letting it sink in the ground.
Minuses are the chapter dedicated to the Pope Francis (?) and those “coming attractions” dedicated to very trans-humanistic hypothetical “solutions” to climate change. We do have all the engineering needed in our own hands, and that is growing biomass and letting it sink in the ground.
jgintrovertedreader's review against another edition
3.0
I needed to read a book about climate change for a nonfiction reading challenge that I'm taking part in. I didn't want something that was going to depress me so I decided to read a book focused on solutions rather than problems. Drawdown fit the bill but I still got a little depressed. We know what needs to be done, we have feasible ideas for how to do it, but, at least in the States, we don't have the political will or impetus to implement many of these solutions. Most of them are only practical at the industrial or national scale. Even ideas that are more personal in scope, like electric cars or solar panels, would be implemented more quickly if we could have better tax breaks or if startup companies had better government subsidies.
The book got a bit too long and detailed for my level of interest. Others will disagree. The editor tried to keep each of the 100 solutions to just a few pages, giving a rough overview of the science, the benefits, and the negatives. I probably had the attention span for about 50 of these solutions. I would recommend buying a copy so that you can dip in and out as your interest and time allow rather than checking it out of the library and trying to finish it all before the due date.
Speaking of negatives, I feel that they were glossed over a bit. I understand that we do need to do something to start addressing the challenges facing us and if we wait around waiting for perfect solutions, we'll never change anything. But still. It seems negligent not to mention destructive mining practices and battery disposal when talking about electric cars, for example.
Drawdown was published in 2017, which doesn't seem that long ago in some ways, but technology changes so quickly, parts already feel dated. In the book, Tesla cars seem like an anomaly and their buyers still get a tax break (which I believe is no longer the case). You can't throw a rock without hitting a Tesla in bigger cities now. But there is an associated website, drawdown.org, that provides updates to the material.
The organization of the book was a bit odd for me. Solutions were divided into topics like "Energy" or "Food." I can follow that. But from there, I don't know why the solutions were organized the way they were. The "Energy" section begins with "Wind Turbines" which is ranked in effectiveness at #2 for onshore turbines and #22 for offshore turbines. Then we went to microgrids, #78, then back to geothermal energy, ranked #18. It was all over the place.
There were a few things that I did really like. There was one section devoted to cultural changes, specifically related to more feminist topics--women smallholders, family planning, and educating girls. There was a section at the end describing "Coming Attractions"--tech that is in the research and development stage. It might not ever lead to concrete solutions, but I liked taking a peek sort of behind the scenes. Interspersed between the solution essays were excerpts from books that relate to the science of climate change and caring for the planet. For example, there were excerpts from The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf. I really liked these sections and added some of the books to my TBR.
I don't recommend this for everyone, but if the topic interests you, it's definitely worth a read. It's nice to know that we have solutions for climate change. Now if we can only start implementing them on large scales.
The book got a bit too long and detailed for my level of interest. Others will disagree. The editor tried to keep each of the 100 solutions to just a few pages, giving a rough overview of the science, the benefits, and the negatives. I probably had the attention span for about 50 of these solutions. I would recommend buying a copy so that you can dip in and out as your interest and time allow rather than checking it out of the library and trying to finish it all before the due date.
Speaking of negatives, I feel that they were glossed over a bit. I understand that we do need to do something to start addressing the challenges facing us and if we wait around waiting for perfect solutions, we'll never change anything. But still. It seems negligent not to mention destructive mining practices and battery disposal when talking about electric cars, for example.
Drawdown was published in 2017, which doesn't seem that long ago in some ways, but technology changes so quickly, parts already feel dated. In the book, Tesla cars seem like an anomaly and their buyers still get a tax break (which I believe is no longer the case). You can't throw a rock without hitting a Tesla in bigger cities now. But there is an associated website, drawdown.org, that provides updates to the material.
The organization of the book was a bit odd for me. Solutions were divided into topics like "Energy" or "Food." I can follow that. But from there, I don't know why the solutions were organized the way they were. The "Energy" section begins with "Wind Turbines" which is ranked in effectiveness at #2 for onshore turbines and #22 for offshore turbines. Then we went to microgrids, #78, then back to geothermal energy, ranked #18. It was all over the place.
There were a few things that I did really like. There was one section devoted to cultural changes, specifically related to more feminist topics--women smallholders, family planning, and educating girls. There was a section at the end describing "Coming Attractions"--tech that is in the research and development stage. It might not ever lead to concrete solutions, but I liked taking a peek sort of behind the scenes. Interspersed between the solution essays were excerpts from books that relate to the science of climate change and caring for the planet. For example, there were excerpts from The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and The Invention of Nature by Andrea Wulf. I really liked these sections and added some of the books to my TBR.
I don't recommend this for everyone, but if the topic interests you, it's definitely worth a read. It's nice to know that we have solutions for climate change. Now if we can only start implementing them on large scales.
readingjag's review against another edition
4.0
Incredible research ranks exactly what we need to do to reverse climate change. Some of it I knew already (the meat industry worldwide is a real killer and we need silvopasture like yesterday) but some was news to me (just dealing with the pollution that comes from refrigerants could really turn this thing around).
Ultimately, however, I was still left feeling hopeless. Because there is not a snowball's chance in hell that the American government is going to try and do even one damn thing on the list. Thanks a lot, baby boomers! You ruined the world and now you get to die first, leaving your grandkids in an apocalyptic hellscape. Way to go, guys. Way to go.
Ultimately, however, I was still left feeling hopeless. Because there is not a snowball's chance in hell that the American government is going to try and do even one damn thing on the list. Thanks a lot, baby boomers! You ruined the world and now you get to die first, leaving your grandkids in an apocalyptic hellscape. Way to go, guys. Way to go.
terpgirl42's review against another edition
4.0
Great information. I listened to it and I think it would have been a lot more accessible had I read it instead. It is essentially a list of solutions with discussions of the data, and that combined with a very mechanical narration made listening a chore. Still interesting though.
tanemariacris's review against another edition
Saying that such work is absolutely vital is a cliché that for once may be an understatement instead of an exaggeration. I also read and recommend the 2020 Review which is a great summary and an updated version of what was published in 2017.
daviest's review against another edition
4.0
Great book as a reference or as a table topper, packed with interesting ideas from many fields (from agriculture to energy), but not a comprehensive plan for combatting global warming, since it doesn't tackle how the solutions it outlines could actually be enacted. In fairness, since the methods for reducing emissions and drawing down CO2 are both very varied and vary heterogeneous, writing that would probably take several other very in-depth books.
To summarise, Drawdown is more like an encyclopedia, or a 'zoo' of solutions to climate change. It's well written and interesting, I can recommend it as a casual read to get an overview of many topics relating to climate change.
To summarise, Drawdown is more like an encyclopedia, or a 'zoo' of solutions to climate change. It's well written and interesting, I can recommend it as a casual read to get an overview of many topics relating to climate change.